TaylorMade appoints new CEO; King promoted

TaylorMade announced a change in its leadership on Thursday morning, revealing that Ben Sharpe, current executive vice president of Adidas Golf and Ashworth, will take over as CEO.

Current TaylorMade CEO Mark King has been promoted to be the President of Adidas Group North America, effective June 1.

“Mark King’s appointment underlines our clear commitment to the North American marketplace,” said Adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer. “Mark has a proven track record of success and leadership excellence. In turn, TaylorMade-adidas Golf is in best hands with Ben Sharpe who has been part of the successful TaylorMade leadership team since 2006. I am convinced that Ben will lead our golf business into the next era of growth.”

King is a longtime TaylorMade face, having moved through the ranks, starting as a sales representative in the 1980s and was named the company’s president in 1999. He has led TaylorMade to becoming the largest golf company in the world, pushing sales to $1.7 billion in 2013.

King says that he will remain involved with the golf division, including Hack Golf, which he helped found to help improve the game itself, particularly pace of play.